Macrobiotic Diet

While looking for a healthy lifestyle, it’s worth looking at the far east cultures, meaning Japanese or Chinese diets. One of those diets is a macrobiotic diet.

Macrobiotic – this word means a long life in physical and mental health. Rules of macrobiotics were formulated by a Japanese philosopher, George Ohsawa. macrobiotic diet is based on products grown locally in natural ways, without fertilisers and plant protection products.
This diet is low fat and rich in fibre, based mostly on brown rice, coarse porridge from barley, wheat, oats, pasta, rice noodles, non-fat fish, soy, chickpeas, Azuka beans and broad beans. Fish is recommended in small amounts, and mostly saltwater instead of freshwater ones. The diet also includes seasonal vegetables, steamed, which allows them to keep most of their nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Steaming food allows us to keep most of its nutrients. If food needs to be fried, the only oil that should be used is cold-pressed oil from corn, sesame, mustard or olives.
Vegetables should be eaten according to their season of ripening, preferably making them fresh instead of preserved with chemicals. Preserves that are homemade are allowed. Nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, as well as almonds and chestnuts are very beneficial in this kind of diet. Fruits are best cooked or baked. It’s important to avoid any citrus fruits. For dessert, it’s allowed to eat cakes sweetened with rice syrup or barley malt. A macrobiotic diet is recommended for people in their convalescence period, after illnesses or with a chronic disease. It’s not recommended for children and breastfeeding mothers, as it can cause protein, magnesium, calcium and vitamin B12 deficiency. A macrobiotic diet includes limiting products such as milk, eggs, meat, sweets,spicy herbs, alcohol and honey. The only spices allowed on this diet are horseradish and mustard. Let’s remember that before making any decision about going on a diet, it’s important to remember to consult a specialist in this matter, a dietician.
Before starting any diet, we should also do tests for any microelement deficiencies that might be important for our body. Such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. If they are lacking in our body, we might have a problem with our health, and we shouldn’t start any diets, especially to lose weight, or start them under the supervision of a dietician.